GE-Ryan XV-5A V/STOL Acceptance Testing

Commissioned by the U.S. Army in 1961 as the Ryan VZ-11-RY (redesignated XV-5A in 1962), this innovative aircraft was designed to blend the hover capability of a helicopter with the speed and range of a jet, offering potential for battlefield surveillance and rescue missions.

The XV-5A, a collaboration between Ryan Aeronautical and General Electric, featured a unique lift-fan propulsion system. Powered by two General Electric J85-GE-5 turbojets, each producing 2,658 lbf of thrust, the aircraft utilized exhaust gases to drive three lift fans: two 62.5-inch fans embedded in the wings and a smaller 36-inch fan in the nose. These fans generated approximately 16,000 lbf of vertical thrust—nearly three times the engines’ horizontal thrust—enabling vertical take-off and landing. Hinged covers on the wing fans and louvers on the nose fan facilitated VTOL operations, while louvered vanes under the wing fans allowed thrust vectoring for yaw and roll control.